John (Program #42) – Life’s Prayer (1)

When the Spirit as the essence of the Word makes that written Word living, immediately we receive the dispensing of the Father’s life. And, in that life we can be one with all the believers in Christ Jesus.

Upon a first reading or a rather superficial reading of John 17, we may have the impression that the central point is the oneness of the believers. Although this point is crucial, it is neither the central point of the chapter, nor the subject of the Lord’s prayer in this chapter. The subject is clearly indicated in verse 1, where the Lord Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, … glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify you.” This sets the tone and reveals the subject of the Lord’s prayer. He is praying for His glorification so that in His glorification the Father would be glorified.

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Leviticus (Program #40) – Devotions for a Vow (1) & (2), A Concluding Word

The conclusion of the book of Leviticus is a remarkable one. The early chapters present in great detail the offerings that depict so vividly that our Saviour Christ as the solution to every problem and barrier between God and man. Then come the festivals and the jubilee pointing us to the enjoyment and experience of God in Christ as our food, our rest and ultimate satisfaction. But then we are warned not to neglect such an all-inclusive provision and finally the last chapter presents the child of God making a devotion with a vow to live in the reality of all that God has prepared for us.

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John (Program #41) – The Work of the Spirit unto the Mingling of Divinity with Humanity (2)

You come into this chapter (John 17); it’s like stepping into a room where a Godly person is praying and you feel uneasy to interrupt Him. And, you certainly don’t want to come in to inject any thought of your own. So, there’s a holy atmosphere here, of the communication in the divine Trinity that only the Holy Spirit can make known to us.

I believe the prayer, in John 17, is very very significant, mainly because it comes at the end of a long message that the Lord Jesus gave to His disciples just before He went to the cross. Chapters 14, 15, and 16 give us the message that the Lord Jesus spoke on His way to be crucified. So, this of course is a very significant portion of the Word of God, particularly in the Gospel of John. And, after that long message, then He closes with this prayer. And, this prayer is so meaningful that unless you really pray it, or I should say, read it prayerfully, you will not know what its subject is.

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Leviticus (Program #39) – The Word of Warning

All children of God should have the desire to obey Him, as our Father, we should obey Him in order to honour Him. Yet do we know who is this One that we want to please and obey?  Well, the Bible reveals that He is the very God of creation and of the Old Testament for there’s only one God and forever there will only be one God. But if we do not know Him according to the process that He has passed through in order to reach man, it will be impossible for us to live in the realm of real obedience.  The processed Triune God – that’s our focus on this message today from the life-study of Leviticus.

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John (Program #40) – The Work of the Spirit unto the Mingling of Divinity with Humanity (1)

Acts 13:33 tell us that on the day of resurrection, He was begotten by God. His humanity was actually born into divinity to make Him the first born Son of God.

These 3 chapters (John 14, 15, 16) are very rich and very meaningful because these 3 chapters are the contents of the Lord’s final message given in His earthly ministry before He went to the cross, was crucified, and then resurrected. In these 3 chapters, what we see s God’s heart’s desire and God’s eternal purpose.

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Leviticus (Program #38) – The Sabbath Year and the Jubilee (2) & (3)

A very special time in the lives of the Old Testament people of God was called the Jubilee. It only came every fifty years but it was a marvelous provision that freed the captives, returned lost properties and possessions to the original owners and full restored family and even relationships. No wonder the literal meaning of this word is to shout with great joy. The Israelites were not the only ones included in the jubilee because the Lord Jesus proclaimed that He Himself came to be the real jubilee for all those that receive Him, even today.

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John (Program #39) – The Organism of the Triune God in the Divine Dispensation (3)

Those who refuse Christ and who stay in Adam by so doing will remain one with Satan, and as a result will participate in the judgment reserved for God’s enemy.

In this chapter (John 15), the Lord speaks plainly, directly, and profoundly concerning the divine organism. And, He says, “I am the true vine, you are the branches.” So, here we have a corporate entity. The vine with its branches composed of Christ as the embodiment and manifestation of the triune God. And, all those who have believed into Christ by receiving Him into them. The Lord calls this the true vine, the real vine. What we have in this marvelous picture is God the Father embodied in Christ who is the stock of the vine. And, all the believers who have been added to Christ, to become parts of Christ, just as the branches of the vine are parts of the vine to be an organism. So, now we have on this earth the living, divine organism of Christ and His believers, the vine and the branches.

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Leviticus (Program #37) – The Sabbath Year and the Jubilee (1)

The gospel of Luke chapter 4 has a wonderful and often quoted passage: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to announce the gospel of the poor; He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away in release those who are oppressed/ To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, the year of jubilee.” The Lord Jesus was actually quoting from Isaiah in this passage but the reference to the year of jubilee is found in Leviticus chapter 25. This is perhaps the best known chapter in this entire book and the spiritual significance of it will become, not just a good Bible teaching, but become the source of our shouting for joy, our jubilee!

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Leviticus (Program #36) – The Festivals (2)

The day of Pentecost is recorded in the book of Acts, is looked upon by many Christians as being a landmark event in the history of Christianity.  And rightly so, as it is associated with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  But Pentecost also coincide with the Jewish festival known as the Feast of Weeks as initiated in the book of Leviticus.  From the light of the Old Testament types and pictures we have been getting in the book of Leviticus, it bears even more significance for us today.  We want to look at Pentecost on today’s program from a very new and a very fresh perspective.

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John (Program #38) – The Organism of the Triune God in the Divine Dispensation (2)

When He speaks to us, we have to keep it. When His word abides in us, then right away, we are abiding in His love. So, just by saying Amen to His speaking, love will fill us, and we will find the prevailing way to love the Lord Jesus and abide in His love.

The very striking point in John 15 to me is the illustration of the vine and the branches. There’s no other plant that could adequately illustrate the life flow that exists between the Lord and His believers. The Lord said, “I am the vine, and you are the branches.” Could any other illustration make it more clear? Then, what God is producing is an organism, not an organization. The “I am” here is Christ when He said, “I am the vine.” And, the “you are” is that part of the vine known as branches. Christ, the Son, is the very center of God’s economy, and He’s also the embodiment of all the riches of the Father.

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